Editing Domnitor (section)

{{Short description|Official title of the ruler of Romania between 1862 and 1881}}
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{{refimprove|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox former monarchy
| royal_title       = ''Principe Domnitor''
| realm             = the<br/>United Principalities
| coatofarms        = Principality of Romania - 1872 CoA.svg
| coatofarmssize    = 120px
| coatofarmscaption = '''[[Coat of arms of Romania|Princely Coat of arms]]'''
| image             = Carolu Iiu.jpg
| caption           = '''Carol I'''
| first_monarch     = [[Alexandru Ioan Cuza|Alexander John I]]
| last_monarch      = [[Carol I of Romania|Carol I]]
| style             = [[Royal Highness|His Royal Highness]]
| residence         = 
| appointer         = Hereditary
| began             = 5 February 1862
| ended             = 15 March 1881
| pretender         = 
}}

'''''Prince Domnitor''''', in full '''''Principe Domnitor''''' (Romanian [[Plural|pl.]] '''''Principi Domnitori''''') was the official title of the ruler of [[Romania]] between 1862 and 1881.  It was usually translated as "[[prince regnant]]" in English and most other languages, and less often as "[[grand duke]]". "Domnitor" is an adjective derived from the [[Romanian language|Romanian]] word "''domn''" (''[[lord]]'' or ''ruler'') and, in turn, from the [[Latin]] "[[Dominus (title)|Dominus]]". The title '''Domn''' had been in use since the Middle Ages and it is also the Romanian equivalent to the Slavic [[Hospodar]]. Moldavian and Wallachian rulers had used this term for their title of authority as the head of state, while "[[Voivode|voievod]]" represented the military rank as the head of the army.

The title acquired an officially recognized meaning after [[Moldavia]] and [[Wallachia]] [[Unification of Moldavia and Wallachia|united]] to form the [[United Principalities|Romanian United Principalities]] under [[Alexandru Ioan Cuza|Alexander John I]], who had become the ruler of both states since 1859. Alexander John abdicated in 1866 and was succeeded by [[Carol I of Romania|Carol I]], who promulgated the first constitution who officially used the name [[Name of Romania|Romania]] for the country. He held the title until 1881. When Romania was [[Kingdom of Romania|proclaimed a kingdom]] in March 1881, Carol became its first king.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/reminiscencesofk00kremiala |title=Reminiscences of the King of Roumania |first1=Mite |last1=Kremnitz |first2=Sidney |last2=Sidney Whitman |publisher=Harper& Brothers |year=1899}}</ref>